HOUSE BILL NO. 914 Offered January 11, 2006 Prefiled January 10, 2006 A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-1127 of the Code of Virginia, relating to improvements for vacant or abandoned retail or commercial properties. ---------- Patron-- Oder ---------- Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 15.2-1127 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.2-1127. Vacant and abandoned buildings; registration and regulation; civil penalty.  

A. Any city, by ordinance, may require the owner or owners of buildings that have been vacant for a continuous period of 12 months or more to register such buildings on an annual basis and may impose an annual registration fee not to exceed $25 to defray the cost of processing such registration. The registration of buildings shall be on forms designated by the city and filed with the agency designated by the city. Failure to register shall be a $50 civil penalty; however, failure to register in conservation and rehabilitation districts designated by the governing body, or in other areas designated as blighted pursuant to § 36-49.1:1, shall be punishable by a civil penalty not exceeding $250. Notice shall be mailed to the owner or owners, at the address to which property tax notices are sent, at least 30 days prior to the assessment of the civil penalty.

B. The City of Newport News may adopt an ordinance imposing screening, landscaping, or other improvements for retail or commercial properties that have been vacant or abandoned for more than three years within designated areas consistent with the city's comprehensive plan.